


Salt Water and Sand

by Halo_Reznor



Category: How To Destroy Angels (Band), Nine Inch Nails (Band)
Genre: Beaches, Characters Quoting Star Wars, Dumb Comedy, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Mariqueen Trying to Have a Good Time, Older Man/Younger Woman, Oneshot, Swearing, Trent Being Grumpy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28211745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halo_Reznor/pseuds/Halo_Reznor
Summary: Before he realized what he was doing, Trent had done it. He said the dumbest thing he could have on a beach, or anywhere that had a non-zero amount of sand in it.
Relationships: Mariqueen Maandig/Trent Reznor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Salt Water and Sand

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entirely sure where this came from, but I certainly wrote it. This was going to be just a short, dumb comedic story but it got fluffy and a tad angsty at the end. I also mostly wrote this to try and get over my writer's block for my main WIP, and also to try and get the hang of writing Mariqueen.
> 
> Vaguely takes place at some point when they were dating.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. The events in this story never occurred, and the characters involved are not an accurate reflection of the individuals presented therein.

The blazing California sun beamed down onto the equally blazing beach, where the dark-haired man laid on a large blue towel. ‘Thank fuck for sunscreen,’ Trent thought in the shade of a large umbrella.

Around him, other beachgoers had their radios blaring out 'today's hottest hits', throwing huge inflatable balls - a few only narrowly missing him - and drinking sodas (or beer disguised as sodas) that ranged from ice cold to lukewarm. All the while, he wondered what exactly he was doing there.

As if to remind him, a voice playfully called out, "Wanna go for a swim, or are you gonna work on your tan?"

Trent sat up and was greeted by the dizzying sight of a beautiful woman with long black hair walking towards him, after she just finished changing out of her regular clothes. Clad in a black bikini with a matching sarong at her hips, flip-flops, and sunglasses, Mariqueen was as picture perfect as a beach catalogue. The smile that she gave him was nearly as warm as the sun. Oh yes, _she_ was the reason he was here.

"I'm fine," He replied as she took a seat on the towel next to him. It was Mariqueen’s idea to go to the beach, after they had spent almost the entire day before watching TV, with the only notable thing airing all day being a _Star Wars_ marathon. The beach wasn't normally his thing, but it was hot out, she had been in the mood for it for a while, and he didn’t want to be an asshole and tell her no.

She lowered her sunglasses, left eyebrow raised at him. "You sure?" She asked.

"Yeah," Trent flatly insisted, lying back on the towel.

"How about we get something to drink?"

"I already have some water."

"Well how about a walk in the sand?" She was just about to drag him from out of the shade, judging from her tone.

Before he realized what he was doing, Trent had done it. He said the dumbest thing he could have on a beach, or anywhere that had a non-zero amount of sand in it.

"I don't like sand,” He muttered. “It's coarse and rough and irritating. And it gets everywhere.”

The moment he finished, he became all too aware of what he had just said. He turned his head back to Mariqueen, who's eyes narrowed at him.

"Did…" She began. "Did you just quote _Attack of the Clones_ to me?"

Trent stammered, ignoring how hot his face just became, "Uhh, m-maybe? I- I have no idea where that came from." God, he was a loser. A giant _fucking_ loser. Of _all_ the movie quotes he could have said to his girlfriend, his brain just had to go with one from the _Star Wars_ prequels.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, and quickly, she grabbed a hold of the towel beneath him. He watched as her mouth twisted into a wicked smirk.

"Q, what are you- HEY!" Suddenly, she tore the towel from under him with a surprising amount of strength, rolling him face first onto the hot sand. Lifting his sand-covered head up, he heard Mariqueen laughing like a five-year-old as she sprinted as fast as her legs could carry.

“You’re such a nerd!” She yelled from a distance.

Trent got back on his feet and ran after her across the beach, the sand shaking only partially off his skin as he picked up the pace. 'Was she _always_ this fast? In _sandals_?' He questioned while narrowly managing to dodge various other beachgoers casually walking in the opposite direction. Children wandering around unsupervised. Elderly tourists who refused to acknowledge that they were lost. Teenagers who _were definitely getting into his fucking way on purpose when he clearly said, "Coming through!"_

Just as Trent was gaining on her, Mariqueen briefly looked behind her - still smirking - and then started running towards a new direction: the water. Trent’s jaw clenched, realizing what she was going to do. "You better not get that wet!" He shouted after her. Promptly, she ignored him and continued on her path.

Not bothering to take off her sandals, Mariqueen ran into the water until she was knee deep. She rolled up the towel into a ball, and turning around to face Trent, held it high above her head defiantly. He followed suit, trying to ignore how _friggin' cold_ the water was on his legs.

Trent groaned, still attempting to be quick despite running out of breath and the water slowing him down. “If you drop that, I swear I’ll-”

In the blink of an eye (probably having to do with the whole ‘running in water while in sandals’ thing), he tripped.

And crashed right into a wide-eyed Mariqueen.

With a loud splash (and a yelp from her), the two of them hit the water - along with the towel. Moments later, Trent stood up on wobbly legs, dragging Mariqueen from the water with him. Inches away, the towel, her sunglasses, and one of his sandals floated up to the surface. To say both him and her were soaked would be an understatement.

Between quick panicked breaths, he exclaimed, “Oh fuck, oh fuck. Are you okay?”

Managing to stand up by herself, she gave him a thumbs up while also taking a few breaths. “You didn’t crush me, _or_ drown me, so that’s a plus.” Quickly, she gathered up the floating items before they got too far away from them. “Um, sorry about the towel, I was just trying to joke around, but then I kinda got carried away.” She timidly handed the wet towel to him, which he took.

Trent looked at the towel and sighed. “No, I’m – I shouldn’t have been an anti-social asshole back there.”

Mariqueen tilted her head at him and furrowed her brow at him, still holding the sandal and sunglasses as she moved closer to him. “We didn’t _have_ to come here if you didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to be pushy.” She was so close to him that he could feel her breath on his skin.

“I know we didn’t have to go, but…“ He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I just want to try and put some actual goddamn effort into this relationship, and not be the 'asshole reclusive musician' people think I am. Great job I’m doing with-”

He didn’t get to finish that sentence. Her lips, still salty from their fall, pressed against his softly. Trent backed up slightly in surprise, but nonetheless closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, taking in everything about her. The smoothness of her skin, the taste of her lips, her flowery-perfume scent that mingled with the Pacific Ocean…

Any romantic thought Trent had in his head evaporated the moment a white and red beach ball hit him square on the top of his head. The ball landed next to him in the water, floating uselessly until a tanned blond man picked it up.

“Sorry, dude,” The man said casually before wading elsewhere.

Trent exhaled deeply, not even trying to hide his annoyance at the now-dead mood.

“Um,” Mariqueen piped as she put the sunglasses back on her head. “Do you just wanna leave?”

“Y’know what,” Trent said, taking her hand and leading her towards shore. “Let’s just go on that walk like you suggested.”

"But I thought sand was coarse and rough and irrita-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what I said," He interrupted her, wishing that he had a free hand to press against his flushed face. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

She grinned and teasingly replied, "Nope!"


End file.
